[ryanr]

Just had a thought has it got worse since being on the piriton, I know in humans piriton can make them drowsey so looked up dogs, can cause nausea, sickness, odd behaviour and a few other things
Piriton Side Effects in Dogs - VetInfo

It's really difficult to tell if her itching has got worse or stayed the same, because the cone is on her 24/7 with a few 5 minutes being off for when she's eating and when I'm able to physically stop her from biting herself. It's also off for a few hours each day when she's having a walk but she doesn't itch whilst walking. She occasionally itches/bites when I stop to talk to people.

Drowsiness and looking depressed appears to have got worse since the piriton. I have hayfever and used to take piriton which made me drowsy too so I was expecting that I guess. The piriton really hasn't made her itching any better though. I'll use the rest of them up but I won't be buying any more as it just seems a waste. I guess not all dogs respond to piriton for allergies, she still has runny eyes and nose. Could runny eyes and nose be anything other than allergies? Would mites cause those kind of symptoms? I have tried looking before but everything just seems to link to allergies.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

I know, it's pretty bad, some of the dogs are related, there's 2 related boxers, and 2 related rottweilers. The strange thing is one of the rottweilers has very bad arthritis and rarely goes out, yet (s)he has it just as much as the ones who go to the park everyday! So like you say, it could be something contagious. There's a guy with a crossbred dog who has it really bad, much more severe than Cassie as his dog itches as it's walking! He doesn't seem to be the type to really do anything about it, poor dog, so I try to avoid them just in case it is fleas/mites other than him they've all been to the vets who have said it was allergies.

One of the dog who is on atopica has stopped itching now but has to be kept on it. The boxers are on antibiotics which made them stop itching but when coming off it continue to itch. I'm not really sure about the other dogs treatments though but I'll try to find out. The dog who has stopped going in the park used to get really itchy face and runny eyes, which stopped when he stopped taking the dog to the park so I guess that one would definitely be allergies.

I know that during the past year or so due to the council/government cutting funds to parks there's been a huge overgrowth of weeds, especially Himalayan Balsam which absolutely stinks, and the fields which she no longer goes on are really overgrown. Before they cut the funding, the park used to be really nice and clean, including weed free. I guess stuff like that wouldn't really help!

Again, it could all just be contributing to other problems. 1 step at a time I guess, I'm just so impatient!

I think the only way to do or else you are going to completely be driven insane is to work your way through and rule things in or out as you go to be honest and hope the cause becomes clear sooner rather then later on so you can get the right treatment.

 

[ryanr]

I will do and I'll be sticking to it. I just feel so bad at times for not temporarily relieving her itching by using steroids or antibiotics like other dogs have. But I know that long term they can be harmful. At least on wednesday I'll be able to bath her in the dermacton! Hopefully that might give her some temporary relief!

I'm off out to walk her now, shall avoid the park today

 

[ryanr]

Just got back from vets. she's had her skin scrapes, got worming tablets, and stronghold too. He's put her on antibiotics to see if it helps, and is going to try steroids in a few weeks I think, I don't want her on them long term though so I'll just play it by ear. He thinks it's best to wait for the results before having allergy tests, but he's going to contact the lab to see if they do just a food allergy test.

Won't be able to bath her with Dermacton yet because she's sore where he's took the scrapings. But will give her a bath and use the cream when it's healed up a bit. He said results should be back by next Tuesday so giving them a call then.

I was having a look at her belly as she rolled over onto her back in the vets (of all places!) and noticed she's got loads of what looks like bites on her belly, pink marks that are slightly raised, they weren't there a few days ago when I last checked, so I'm wondering if she still has fleas and the Acclaim, and stronghold hasn't got rid, or if it could be something else. Do you know if allergies can show as small red rashes 5p sized that are slightly raised? It does look like a bite, but I couldn't definitely say. He said he'd have a look at them when he took cass for the scrapes, but forgot to ask him what he thought they were

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Just got back from vets. she's had her skin scrapes, got worming tablets, and stronghold too. He's put her on antibiotics to see if it helps, and is going to try steroids in a few weeks I think, I don't want her on them long term though so I'll just play it by ear. He thinks it's best to wait for the results before having allergy tests, but he's going to contact the lab to see if they do just a food allergy test.

Won't be able to bath her with Dermacton yet because she's sore where he's took the scrapings. But will give her a bath and use the cream when it's healed up a bit. He said results should be back by next Tuesday so giving them a call then.

I was having a look at her belly as she rolled over onto her back in the vets (of all places!) and noticed she's got loads of what looks like bites on her belly, pink marks that are slightly raised, they weren't there a few days ago when I last checked, so I'm wondering if she still has fleas and the Acclaim, and stronghold hasn't got rid, or if it could be something else. Do you know if allergies can show as small red rashes 5p sized that are slightly raised? It does look like a bite, but I couldn't definitely say. He said he'd have a look at them when he took cass for the scrapes, but forgot to ask him what he thought they were

Trouble is if shes scratching her belly it could even be trauma. Just a thought but does she lay in the garden and do you know if you have ants. Ant bites can be very itchy and cause raised areas. Nanuq when young loved to dig and
I caught her one day digging up an ants nest and they were running all up her legs. I brushed them off but she got a couple of bites, and they were raised she also gnawed and worried at it and ended up with bald patches.

 

[ryanr]

Trouble is if shes scratching her belly it could even be trauma. Just a thought but does she lay in the garden and do you know if you have ants. Ant bites can be very itchy and cause raised areas. Nanuq when young loved to dig and
I caught her one day digging up an ants nest and they were running all up her legs. I brushed them off but she got a couple of bites, and they were raised she also gnawed and worried at it and ended up with bald patches.

She does lie in the garden a bit but not for long periods and it's mainly on the paving where it's cool. I can't say I've seen any ant's lately though we do usually have some, maybe there's not many about due to the rubbish weather? She's shaved under her belly now, so they might be more visible. I haven't had a look since she got back home, will try take some photos tonight if they show up on camera. It's just strange how they've came on within a few days, as the ones she had a few weeks ago appeared to vanish!

One thing I talked to him about, were the use of steroids. He said he doesn't like to give them out, but due to being on piriton she would only need to be on a very low dose, and the side affects aren't usually anywhere near as bad as human side affects on steroids, due to the short term that a dog lives for any problems don't have time to get bad. He said she shouldn't really have any problems on them if she needed them long term. I still made it clear that I'd rather her not have them long term, but what he said kinda contradicts everything I've read about steroids. I'd still like to try them out short term for a couple of weeks to see if they make any difference to her though.

Edit:
Regards trauma, I'm not actually sure if she can itch the bit where the 'spots' are, I know she has a couple near her inner leg, so she deffinately can't get to that, but the main group of them is on her belly on the squidgy bit after the rib cage stops, I'd have to have a look where she can actually itch with her back leg, but I've only ever seen her itching her sides I think.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

She does lie in the garden a bit but not for long periods and it's mainly on the paving where it's cool. I can't say I've seen any ant's lately though we do usually have some, maybe there's not many about due to the rubbish weather? She's shaved under her belly now, so they might be more visible. I haven't had a look since she got back home, will try take some photos tonight if they show up on camera. It's just strange how they've came on within a few days, as the ones she had a few weeks ago appeared to vanish!

One thing I talked to him about, were the use of steroids. He said he doesn't like to give them out, but due to being on piriton she would only need to be on a very low dose, and the side affects aren't usually anywhere near as bad as human side affects on steroids, due to the short term that a dog lives for any problems don't have time to get bad. He said she shouldn't really have any problems on them if she needed them long term. I still made it clear that I'd rather her not have them long term, but what he said kinda contradicts everything I've read about steroids. I'd still like to try them out short term for a couple of weeks to see if they make any difference to her though.

Edit:
Regards trauma, I'm not actually sure if she can itch the bit where the 'spots' are, I know she has a couple near her inner leg, so she deffinately can't get to that, but the main group of them is on her belly on the squidgy bit after the rib cage stops, I'd have to have a look where she can actually itch with her back leg, but I've only ever seen her itching her sides I think.

Seems you can get lesions with deomdectic mange
Classically with generalized demodicosis, the entire dog is affected with patchy fur, skin infections, bald, scaly skin. Sometimes large patches of affected skin are present, sometimes multiple "polka dots" of lesions cover the dog, and sometimes the entire body is involved. The secondary bacterial infections make this a very itchy and often smelly skin disease. The approach to generalized demodicosis typically depends on the age at which the dog developed the disease.

Demodectic Mange
There is a link on the above to sarcoptic mange if you check, and the belly is one of the prime areas.

with sarcoptic mange too you can get pustules
Dog Mange Symptoms

•Pustules on the dog's skin,
•Redness,
•Scaling,
•Hair loss
•Crusting
•Inflammation

Dog mange causes, symptoms and treatment of demodectic and sarcoptic mange

 

[ryanr]

Another update.
She's been on antibiotics for about 5 days now, and he itching yesterday and today seems to have gotten a bit better. I cant tell for sure because she has been wanting to lick her skin where the scraping was done even though its pretty much healed now, so she isn't leaving that area alone 100% but she definately isn't going for her bum as much as she was a week ago. Any idea what this could mean? Would antibiotics stop itching due to mites or allergies?

I've given her a bath in dermacton this afternoon, used the ear stuff and put a bit of cream on her chin where she kicks at. Will find out the results from the skin scrapings on tuesday, and ill start using the stronghold in a few days, I wanted to put it on now but she's had a bath so im best waiting.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Another update.
She's been on antibiotics for about 5 days now, and he itching yesterday and today seems to have gotten a bit better. I cant tell for sure because she has been wanting to lick her skin where the scraping was done even though its pretty much healed now, so she isn't leaving that area alone 100% but she definately isn't going for her bum as much as she was a week ago. Any idea what this could mean? Would antibiotics stop itching due to mites or allergies?

I've given her a bath in dermacton this afternoon, used the ear stuff and put a bit of cream on her chin where she kicks at. Will find out the results from the skin scrapings on tuesday, and ill start using the stronghold in a few days, I wanted to put it on now but she's had a bath so im best waiting.

Antibiotics wont stop mites or fungal infections or allergies, but they will stop any bacterial infection or secondary bacterial infection from the scratching and itching and traumatising the skin. I would think if the scrapes are taking this long they have sent them off for bacterial and fungal cultures as well.

 

[ryanr]

She's been sat next to me on sofa all morning without her collar on and she's only gone to bite her back leg once up to now, massive improvement from a few days ago, so something is happening. If antibiotics only work on infections then that means the cause of the itching was down to an infection, or secondary infection from itching and traumatising her skin?

A friend in the park, as I mentioned a few days ago, had his dog on antibiotics, which helped but once off them, the itching came back, so he went back on them and it stopped again, and so on. Could antibiotics suppress a yeast infection at all? I know yeast is fungal and not bacterial, but im sure ive read that they suppress the fungal infection then when they come off the antibiotics the fungal infection goes worse. Do you know if that is true?

Her nose and eyes are still bad, but at the moment shes back to how she was before the whole thing errupted, fingers crossed she stays like that when she comes off the antibiotics.

By the way, after reading the article you sent me the other day, ive purchased some coconut oil, so will start giving her that when it arrives. I'm currently giving her a sludgey mix of probiotics, garlic, and salmon oil, which she loves lol

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Anti biotics usually only work on bacteria, did you use the dermacton shampoo bar? if so thats anti fungal and antibacterial, dermacton usually starts to work pretty quickly as well in a lot of cases so that may well be helping the situation as well.

 

[ryanr]

Yeah I gave her a bath last night with the dermacton shampoo bar, but the signs of her stopping itching started before the bath. Although, today she seems even better than yesterday, so it could be a combo of antibiotics and the dermacton that's helping at the moment. Will just have to wait and see what happens then! I think she's been prescribed 1 month of antibiotics, so when she comes off them I'll keep a close eye on her. He did say we should try steroids, which I think he wanted us to put her on this week, but I'll give it a pass for the time being and play things by ear.

 

[Sled dog hotel]

Yeah I gave her a bath last night with the dermacton shampoo bar, but the signs of her stopping itching started before the bath. Although, today she seems even better than yesterday, so it could be a combo of antibiotics and the dermacton that's helping at the moment. Will just have to wait and see what happens then! I think she's been prescribed 1 month of antibiotics, so when she comes off them I'll keep a close eye on her. He did say we should try steroids, which I think he wanted us to put her on this week, but I'll give it a pass for the time being and play things by ear.

Any improvement is at least a step in the right direction, hopefully you will eventually completely get to the bottom of it. Thing is if you try too much all at once them you are not going to know exactly what the problem may have been in the first place so will end up none the wiser in the end, also you may be giving her more and more things some of which might not even be needed in the first place either. Better really is to try things as you go, see what improvement cure you get, and then take it from there if you have too.

Its likely from all the itchy scratcey she has got a degree of bacterial infection even if its secondary and not the underlying problem so at least the ABs will be dealing with that, Dermacton has helped too in a lot of cases and even if you had to use that on a regular basis, at least its all natural and has no nasty long term side effects so that wouldnt be the end of the world if it keeps it all under control and alleviates the problems. Some of her problems may even be seasonal itching which is why you have seen a wrosening of late, which you may find stops at certain times of the year aswell or at least gets a lot less and doesnt add to the problems.